The Necros Clan
by Dziubes
Summary: When a 200 year old seal finally breaks, the world must prepare itself for an all-out war against three malevolent demons. However, it turns out that these demons are sealed within three teenage boys...will these boys be trained to be weapons of good, or will they be killed in order to eliminate the evils beasts within?
1. Chapter 1

**THIS IS A NON-PROFIT FAN-BASED WORK OF FICTION. NARUTO IS OWNED BY MASHASHI KISHIMOTO AND TV TOKYO. PLEASE SUPPORT THE OFFICIAL RELEASE. NOW DANCE FOR MY AMUSEMENT.**

All members of the Necros clan bear a similar ancestor: Zenkuron. Zenkuron was a skilled Demon Hunter of unprecedented renown, who traveled the globe to vanquish malevolent beasts. Upon his journeys, there were three demons that he was unable to slay: the spirit of fire, the spirit of sand, and the spirit of shadow. Unable to totally slay these beasts, Zenkuron trapped them within his own body, fusing them with his own life force. Zenkuron knew that he would never be able to defeat these demons in his lifetime. His only plan was to seal them away for several years, and train the future generations to combat these demons. He became a Shinobi Sage, sharing his gifts with the people of the world so that they could use them against the demons in the future. He traveled to the Leaf Village and shared with them the blessing of fire, giving the land its namesake. He then trekked to the Land of Wind and gave them the blessing of sand, allowing the denizens to survive within the harsh desert terrain. He would keep the art of shadow to himself, fearing that others would use it for evil purposes.

During these journeys, Zenkuron had also been putting his ultimate plan into motion. Instead of sealing the demons away into an artifact and risking that evil men would use them as weapons, Zenkuron would trap the demons within his own children. He put a special spell on the demons so that they would remain dormant for 200 years, resting peacefully within the bellies of his descendants. Since he fused the demons with his own life force, the three demons would be passed down with each individual child he bore. The sand demon was passed down to his first son, Teramaru. The shadow demon was passed down to Umbramaru, his second son. The fire demon was passed down to his third son, Ignimaru. Sadly, since the demons were fused with Zenkuron's life force, he was severely crippled after passing them on to his sons.

It was soon after that Zenkuron's jealous brother, Sotenra, discovered Zenkuron's plan to seal away the demons within his children. In a fit of rage, Sotenra killed Zenkuron. Sotenra then waited for the three children to be born, hoping that he could steal their powers. It was then that the lands of Fire and Wind sought to hunt down Sotenra and avenge the fallen Zenkuron. Sotenra was forced to go into hiding for several years, never to return for thirty long years. After that time, the stories of Zenkuron had been nearly forgotten, and many folk believed he was simply a myth. Sotenra returned to Zenkuron's home and sought to steal the demons from his sons. However, he quickly found that they too had passed the demons down into their respective wives, and hid the maidens away. Sotenra then killed Teramaru, Umbramaru, and Ignimaru.

Knowing that he would not live long enough to hunt for these three maidens, Sotenra began to search for immortality. He searched for many years, until he was a crippled old man, but never found the secret of eternal life. He disappeared into the mountains and lived the last years of his dwindling life as a hermit, cursing the name _Zenkuron._

The Necros Clan is made up of the families that branch from Zenkuron's three sons. Having such thin roots, it is understandable that the Necros Clan would have so few descendants. It is also noteworthy that Necros men would have children for the sole purpose of passing on the demons, hoping that they would not be the unlucky generation to watch the demons awaken. Because of this, most Necros families were reserved to one child. Eventually the stories of Zenkuron became myth even among his descendants. The children who would finally bear the demons' curse did not even know the name of their forefather. This is the tale of those three children who all came from Zenkuron. Their names were Zenton, Kuro, and Sojan.

Part I

The Demons' Keeper

"I still don't understand why _I _have to watch these little wretches," Daijou whined, "I've spent twenty years serving you, Lord Kazekage. I'm a Special Jounin, not a babysitter!"

"I've grown to trust you over these last few years, Daijou, and that is why I'm tasking you with watching over these boys," Kazekage Gaara III explained, his fingers crossed, "It's not like I want you to be their guardian. This is basically a reconnaissance mission. I want you to record these children's actions and tell me if they truly bears these…special traits," he said gingerly, trying to put the matter lightly,

Daijou sighed,

"Only for you, Lord Kazekage,"

Daijou had been in this organization too long to be tasked with a job like this. He had even served the formed Kazekage, Gaara II. Even though he despised this job…he understood why Gaara III was so troubled with these boys. It's not every day that a thirteen-year old boy demolishes a Chuunin Exam arena…

"What's the plan, Zenton?"

"We need to ascend through the ranks if we ever want to make something of ourselves. We're never going to get anywhere as Genin. We need all three of us to become Chuunin,"

"Uhuh? So basically just punch the other guy really hard?" Sojan smirked, cracking his knuckles,

Zenton sighed from his partner's lack of subtlety,

"Yes Sojan, just…just punch him as hard as you can," Zenton gulped, immediately wishing he had not said such a thing. He tried to call Sojan back and take back his words, but the wily boy had already departed to the arena.

Sojan was wearing a short-sleeved black shirt, his hands taped like a boxer. He wore a headband with an extra-long knot in the back that flowed through the wind. His hair was black, and spiked high.

Sojan looked at his opponent with disappointment. He had thin arms and legs, almost to the point of looking sickly, and wore an eye patch. He looked a bit older than Sojan, meaning he had tried and failed the Chuunin exams prior. Sojan looked up at Kazekage Gaara III and Hokage Moy, who were sitting in a sort of spectator's booth.

"Hoy! Kages!" Sojan called up to them, interrupting the proctor who was about to start the match, "Any chance I can get someone else to fight? Maybe someone with more meat on their bones?"

The two kages each raised an eyebrow in confusion, and the proctor did not wait for Sojan any longer. The match started, and the other genin tried to hit Sojan with a cheap shot while he was not looking. Sojan grabbed his opponent's hand and flung him to the side without even looking at him, still matching eyes with the two kages, "I mean this is just ridiculous! I demand to be given a decent challenger! How am I supposed to show what I'm capable of? This guy is gonna die before I even get to the good stuff!"

The genin tried to attack Sojan from behind this time, having gotten back on his feet while Sojan complained to the kages. Sojan did a backflip over the genin as he leaned in to punch, landing with catlike grace behind the man. Sojan delivered a clean punch to the genin's spine, making him drop instantly. The crowd gasped, "Don't worry I didn't kill the guy! Sheesh!" Sojan walked back to the stands without hearing the proctor's official ruling. Zenton was waiting for him,

"I was afraid you were going to actually punch him as hard as you could…" Zenton sighed; sweat dripping down his brow,

"Nah, I want to save my talent for a worthy opponent. It should be a momentous occasion when the world sees what I can do," Sojan bragged,

"Sojan! The world isn't ready to know what we are. Once we rise through the ranks, we can become heroes in their eyes. Maybe if we perform enough good deeds…they'll accept us despite everything else…" Zenton paused for a moment, "Just don't go overboard in the next round, alright? Just win the match and be done with it. I don't want to cause a scene,"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever you say,"

It was now Zenton's turn to take the battlefield. His opponent was just about the opposite of Sojan's. He was bulky beyond belief, with biceps the size of watermelons. His head was shaved and he had a scar on his cheek. He did not wear a shirt, but this could be because no shirt would fit around those colossal arms. The proctor started the match, and the bulky man leapt forward. It was a quick blast from his fingertip. Zenton shot a small bolt of chakra from his forefinger and middle finger, hitting the man in the chest and sending him backwards. There were lines in the sand where his feet had dragged along the ground. He tried to run at Zenton again, but suddenly tripped. Though no one in the audience could have noticed it, the sand around the man's feet had shifted ever so slightly and made him fall on his face. Zenton placed his hand on the man's back and sent a burst of chakra into his body, making him writhe in pain for a split second and then pass out. Zenton gave a slight bow of respect and waited for the proctor to announce his victory before leaving,

"Nice job, hot shot," Sojan chuckled, "Care to make it even more muted?"

"Unlike you, I'm trying to remain incognito. Subtlety is our top priority," Zenton looked around, "Have you seen Kuro anywhere?"

Sojan shrugged, lounging in his chair with his hands behind his head. Zenton grunted with irritation,

"I'm here," Kuro said unceremoniously, passing Zenton without stopping and making his way towards the battlefield,

"What took you so long? It's imperative that we all pass today!"

Kuro did not stop to acknowledge Zenton and continued into the arena. Kuro ended the match as quickly as the proctor had started it. Before his opponent could even move, his arm was lopped off by some invisible force. He screamed in pain, and the proctor announced Kuro to be the victor. Kuro left the arena and walked past Sojan and Zenton. Zenton held Kuro's arm and stopped him, "What are you doing, Kuro? You'll only call attention to yourself with actions like that,"

"You told me at the beginning of these exams to follow two rules: don't kill unless absolutely necessary and don't do anything extravagant. I did neither of those things. If anyone deserves a stern lecture it's Sojan,"

Sojan opened his eyes upon hearing his name. He rubbed his eye and stood up,

"What happened? Is it my turn to fight?" he mumbled laxly, yawning,

"Sojan doesn't know any better. I expect better from _you _Kuro! You should know not to be so merciless out there,"

Kuro rolled his eyes and continued walking out.

A few more matches passed and soon enough the second round of the exams were upon them. Eventually it was time for Sojan to battle once again. He smiled wickedly and crackles his knuckles,

"This guy better be more of a challenge!"

Sojan promenaded into the battlefield with utmost vigor and pride. He looked at his opponent. He wore a bloodstained white shirt and a Sand Village headband around his arm. The proctor started the match. Before Sojan could respond, the other person stomped his foot onto the ground hard enough to make sand fly into the air. Sojan's visibility had fallen, but that was only the first of his worries. He raised his arm to keep the sand out of his eyes, and quickly received a blow to the stomach. It was a small kunai, and had managed to pierce his abdominals. Sojan winced, more in anger than pain, and looked around to try and find his opponent. He then received another kunai in the shoulder blade. He turned around angrily, snorting like a bull. His opponent appeared suddenly at his side, gliding through the air and trying to perform a jump kick. Sojan grabbed his foot and slammed him into the ground.

Zenton was watching from the stands, his abilities allowing him to see through the veil of sand. He gulped. It was never a good thing when someone managed to ignite Sojan's temper. Sojan watched as the man he grabbed turned into sand. He grinded his teeth and growled as another kunai struck him in the lower back. Small embers flickered around the tiny scar under Sojan's eye. The scar was barely noticeable before, but now it had grown longer and changed to a dusk black color. The end of Sojan's tape began to flicker like a fuse. A kunai raced towards his head, but he caught it in mid-air. He looked towards the direction of the kunai, smoke streaming out of his eyes as if they were balls of fire. A sudden wave of flames exploded from the boy, turning all the loose sand into fine powdery glass. With the veil of sand dispersed, Sojan looked to his opponent. The other ninja seemed horrified at Sojan's power. He got on his knees,

"I surrender! I forfeit! You win the match!" he begged,

"The winner is Soja-" the proctor started, but Sojan was not done,

Sojan raced at the other genin, grabbing his face and crushing it in his hands,

"I'm not done with you…" he growled, his hands burning with enough heat to sear the other boy's skin.

Sojan threw the genin into the stands, making him crash through the audience's seats. The stands slowly began to collapse, the foundations shaking. People began to flee as Sojan raced after the boy again. He grabbed him by the arm and threw him back into the arena. Zenton and the two Kages watched with absolute horror as the arena grounds were torn apart. Sojan smashed the other genin's face against the battlefield walls, running in a circle and dragging him through the marble. By now the stands were reduced to wreckage, the only thing remaining was a single row of seats and the Kages' booth. Zenton had a responsibility to uphold…so he was the only person left in the audience after everyone else fled. Sojan started to gasp for breath, the fires around him subsiding. He exhaled deeply and looked around. He looked at Zenton somewhat shamefully.

Daijou went to the Sunakagure prison to visit the little freak. When he arrived, Sojan was talking to the other boy in the exams, the one named Zenton. There was another boy present, he had white hair and wore black robes. Daijou had seen him participate in the exams, but only briefly.

"-I'm not saying I'm _gonna _break out! I just want these guards to know that I could if I wanted to. It's a matter of respect," Sojan said, crossing his arms,

"If you do that they'll just move you into tighter lockup. Probably won't even let you have visitors,"

"It'd be a shame if we missed the pleasure of visiting you…" the white-haired boy gurgled sarcastically,

"Stop it Kuro. Talk like that is the last thing we need right now!"

Daijou walked towards the three boys, trying to act as professionally as he could,

"Good evening, boys. My name is Kuripa Daijou and I represent the Kazekage. He's given me the task of looking after you boys until further notice," he revealed a small key from his sleeve and opened Sojan's cell, "The Kazekage has given you the privilege of an early release on the condition that you see him immediately,"

Sojan laughed walking out of his cell,

"The Kazekage thinks that he can release a volatile guy like me? And he expects me not to just run away? I'm surprised how much faith the guy has in me,"

"Not just you. All three of you have been summoned to the Kazekage's mansion,"

Sojan and Kuro looked each other with eyes of suspicion. Zenton simply bowed graciously,

"We would be honored," Zenton said humbly,

The small group traveled to the Kazekage's mansion in silence. The tension in the air was practically palpable. They arrived at the gallant palace within about a half-hour's journey and were quickly ushered inside. The place was crawling with maids and butlers, who guided the group through the halls that wound like a maze. Eventually they came to Gaara III's office, where he sat behind a tall mahogany desk.

"Welcome, boys, I've been expecting you," Gaara announced pleasantly, "Please have a seat,"

"We'd rather stand, if it's all the same with you," Kuro said shortly,

Gaara shrugged, finding no difference,

"You are undoubtedly curious why I've brought you here," Gaara explained, disregarding any formalities, letting all three boys nod unanimously, "I want you all to know that I am aware of your secret," he leaned forward, knotting his fingers,

Kuro quickly reached for a sword hidden beneath his robes, but Zenton stopped him,

"And what _secret _might that be?" Zenton asked, standing firm,

"I know that you three boys hail from the Necros Clan. And that each of you harbors a dormant demon within your bodies,"

The boys remained silent, refusing to admit to anything…but also not refuting the Kazekage's claims, "Understand, I have no intention of harming you. Quite the opposite actually. I want to train you three to use your gifts for the greater good,"

"You wish to train us?"

"Well not personally, no. But I will be assigning you missions that will test your skills," he looked at the three of them gravely, "after seeing what happened at the arena today, I am fully aware of what you boys are capable of. I will not hesitate to give you B level missions, despite your age,"

"And why would we agree to this? It sounds like you want us to be weapons," Kuro growled skeptically,

"If you were willing to train under my supervision, I will grant each of you the rank of ANBU and all the perks that go with it. You would have access to resources and information that genin could never dream of,"

Zenton looked at Gaara curiously,

"It seems strange that you would place so much faith in our abilities after only seeing Sojan in battle. Are you basing all your faith on just that one incident, or will we need to prove ourselves in some other way?"

"Well yes and no. You'll be interested to know that I was observing your talents even before Sojan's little incident. I saw how you ever so discreetly moved the sand. And how you were able to slice off that man's arm without drawing your sword,"

Zenton and Kuro each felt sweat drip down their temples, "But no, I'm not going to start training you just based off what I saw. Before you can become my trainees and achieve ANBU rank, I want you to participate in this,"

Gaara III pulled up a small paper from behind his desk and slid it towards Zenton. It was a promotional flyer for the Tournament of Nations. A worldwide fighting contest that welcomed participants of any rank or background. Zenton looked at the flyer, and then back to Gaara.

"You want us to compete in a tournament?"

"Indeed. Daijou will act as your guardian and sensei, watching you throughout the tournament,"

"So we don't necessarily have to win, we just need to flaunt our talents?" Kuro asked,

Gaara laughed a bit,

"Well…I suppose technically you _have _to win," he looked up with extreme severity, "the men competing in the tournament are ruthless. Each battle will likely be to the death. You may not have to win as a matter of competition, but you will have to win if you wish to survive,"


	2. Chapter 2

**THIS IS A NON-PROFIT FAN-BASED WORK OF FICTION. NARUTO IS OWNED BY MASHASHI KISHIMOTO AND TV TOKYO. PLEASE SUPPORT THE OFFICIAL RELEASE. NOW GIVE ME A COOKIE.**

Part II

The Hunt

Sojan leaned back his head, in awe of the Battle Tower. The massive facility must have been twenty stories high, piercing the very heavens with its tip. The entire facility was surrounded by swarms of people, each bearing different colors and clothing to signify their specific country. Sojan wore a green and black shirt that had a commando pattern. He had loose black shorts, his arms and legs were covered in tape from the elbows and knees down. Zenton wore a tan duster jacket, with a white undershirt underneath. His pants and shoes were black, and he carried a massive cylindrical suitcase on his back. Kuro wore the same black jacket as he had at the exams, using the collar to cover his face and the hood to cover his eyes. The jacket extended around his feet, with a small sliver around the legs for mobility. Kuro also wore a large sheath on his back.

The three boys made it to the registration office within a few hours. It was no fun waiting in line, and even less fun to see the amount of paperwork that needed to be done. The three handed in their paperwork, making the lady behind the glass adjust her glasses in surprise,

"You say you boys are from the…Necros Clan?"

"Is that a problem, Madame?" Zenton said rather quaintly,

She signed their names onto slips of paper and sent them down a small shaft, not bothering to answer Zenton's question,

"Next in line, please!" she called, making the next man push Zenton aside,

The tournament would not start for another day, so the three boys spent the night in a rather luxurious inn. The Kazekage himself had paid for their room and board, allowing them to stay within the Golden Lotus Inn,

"Everyone get to sleep early, we've got a long day ahead of us,"

Kuro lied down without saying a word, closing the door behind him. Sojan kicked off his sandals and lied down,

"So Zenton, is this the kind of opportunity you've been talking about? Getting a job as ANBU would give you the chance to perform all those good deeds we're talking about," Sojan laughed under his breath a bit, "It seems kinda ironic. You only wanted to do good deeds so you could hide your secrets a bit longer…but you have to expose that very power in order to become a power of good,"

Zenton was sitting on the bed, facing away from Sojan,

"Good night," he said, without addressing Sojan's words.

It was the next day that Daijou met them outside their hotel. He walked them towards the tournament groups, making it obvious that everything he did would out of dutiful conviction to the Kazekage.

"How exactly did you boys meet? Lord Kazekage informed me that all members of the Necros clan are distantly related. It would seem impossible for the three of you to know each other,"

"Kuro and I met through my uncle Satetsu," Zenton said grimly, "After we were together, Sojan was not difficult to find,"

"The Crimson Avenger of the Necros Clan! Come on and all to challenge the youngest taijustu master in the world," Kuro said mockingly,

"Laugh all you want, but I'm still undefeated in my home town!" Sojan bragged, crossing his arms,

"This uncle Satetsu, he sounds like a good man to bring you two together,"

Zenton grinded his teeth,

"Far from it. That man was a monster. He brought Kuro and I together through coincidence, not action," Zenton took in a deep breath, ready to tell his sad tale, "My father disappeared soon after impregnating my mother, and she died giving birth to me. Satestu served as my guardian. He had discovered the secret of the Necros clan, and how his brother-in law had borne a son with a demon in his belly. From the day I was able to walk, Satetsu did everything he could to try and awaken that demon. He would abuse me, trying to ignite my rage so I would snap at him. As much as I wanted to kill him…I refused to lash out against him. No matter what happened, I made an oath that I would never give in to him, and I would never give him what he wanted. But even I had my limit,

"One day he crossed the line. He decided that it was not enough to torture me, but he brought an innocent girl into the fray. He kidnapped a local girl and made a point to beat her in front of me. I knew that I was just giving him what he wanted, but I refused to let personal morals get in the way of protecting someone. The Sand was unleashed, and I sent a spiral of earth around the man, letting him suffocate in it. I led the little girl back to her family and let the Sand Serpent rest in my body once again. I've been able to control the demon ever since…so I suppose it is not a wholeheartedly bloodthirsty beast,"

"That's all well and good, but what does that have to do with you meeting Kuro?"

"Right. Well after I killed Satetsu, I found that his study was full of demonic imagery. He had been studying the three demons Zenkuron had sealed away. His research of the Shadow Dragon led me to Kuro,"

Daijou nodded his head,

"And what about you, Kuro? What's your story?"

"Why don't you just piss off?" Kuro glared at Daijou, his hand already gripping his sword,

Daijou blinked in shock and backed off, leading the boys to the tournament grounds,

It was almost immediately after the boys arrived that the master of ceremonies began to speak. He was a dark-skinned man with circular sunglasses and a large furry coat. Underneath the lion-skin coat was what seemed to be a tuxedo. He wore pristine white gloves,

"Welcome, Shinobi of all ilk! My name is Teishuten. I could not be more pleased with the fine selection of warriors that stands before me today! This is the tenth annual Tournament of Nations, and I have faith that this will be our most spectacular competition yet! It gives me great pleasure to introduce last year's champion, Kontan Minarai!" Teishuten stepped aside as a few crimson curtains opened, revealing the former champion,

The boy seemed older two years older than Zenton. His black hair was kept in a ponytail, but the bangs were still spikey and spanned across his forehead. His eyes were orange and bore heavy black bags underneath. His right arm was mechanical, with three menacing clawed fingers. He wore a headband with a peculiar symbol on it; some sort of upside-down "T". He walked to the pedestal Teishuten had stood at,

"Greetings, Shinobi of all ages," he spoke in a voice that exceeded his years. It was the kind of voice that was gravely and stoic, hardened by bloodshed, "I will keep this short and quick," his eyes turned into a menacing glare that was cast over the entire audience, "Get out now. I see far too many youngsters in the crowd here today, and I will not stand to watch you get slaughtered. This is a simple matter of survival. If you do not kill first, you will die. Simple as that," Kontan turned his back on the pedestal, disappearing behind the curtain once again,

Teishuten began to laugh, taking his place at the pedestal once again,

"Ha, ha, its men like that that make this tournament worthwhile! Now then, I suppose we should get the preliminary round out of the way,"

Zenton raised an eyebrow, "You see, we only have room for sixty-four members in this tournament, and more than triple that number have registered. To thin the ranks a bit, you will each be tasked with finding one of these," Teishuten pulled a small golden egg out of his coat pocket and raised it into the air, "There are sixty four of these little treasures scattered around the surrounding area. Every warrior who manages to procure an egg and bring it to me will win a place on the tournament bracket. The hunt begins….now!" a small starting pistol went off,

There were a few seconds of silence. The instructions were delivered so quickly that no one was certain what to do. It was Sojan that broke the silence, punching the man next to him into the dirt and running out the nearby double doors. It was then that all the others flooded out, clogging the doorway like an artery. The smarter ninja, like Zenton and Kuro, blasted holes in the roof to travel through and quickly made their way outside.

Sojan was a freaking master of awesomeness. He had already found an egg hidden in a nearby bird's nest. He would get it back to Teishuten before half those losers even got out of the arena! It was then that the bird's nest burst into smoldering ash. Sojan blinked, knowing that he had not started the fire. He looked back to see two ninja, each wearing loose clothing and bandanas over their faces. One had patterns of red and black while the other wore blue and white. The blue ninja spoke first,

"You handle this one, brother. I will search for a different egg," he ran off in the other direction,

Sojan cracked his knuckles,

"You're gonna wish your bro had stuck around, punk. You're gonna regret thinking you could fight me one on one!"

Before Sojan could gloat any longer, he was forced to dodge an incoming attack. The blast narrowly missed him, and hit the tree behind him. He looked back to see the tree a steaming pile of black bark and shoved the golden egg in his pocket. The ninja attacked again, punching the air and sending purges of white steam.

"Art of the Scalding Air!" the red ninja announced proudly,

Sojan chuckled, dodging the attacks with ease,

"Alright, since you showed me your signature move I might as well show you mine!" Sojan clapped his hands together and surrounded them with translucent spheres, "Taijustu mastery: Megaton Justu!" Sojan ran at the red ninja, wailing at him with his right hand. The red ninja barely dodged, and Sojan ended up punching the tree behind him. The tree was broken in half, torn apart by the force of Sojan's punch,

"The Megaton Justu? But that's a defensive technique! It was created to be an invincible force-field!"

"Yeah, you'll quickly find out I'm not one for the conventional," Sojan snickered, running at the red ninja again and trying to uppercut him. The ninja did a backflip to dodge and kicked more scalding air at Sojan. Sojan raised his two hands to dodge, absorbing the impact easily. His forearms would have been burnt, but the tape protected him. Sojan simply smiled, "You're pretty good at this, what's your name?"

"It's Karyoku, and my brother is Kogorasu. Once he finds a golden egg he'll be back to help me. Once its two of us versus you, you'll be overpowered,"

"So that's your brilliant plan? Wait for your brother to rescue you? Pathetic!" Sojan jumped into the air and punched downward on Karyoku. The ninja evaded once again, but Sojan quickly swept his leg. Sojan ran off towards the arena, wishing to spare the man's life. More steam raced past his head, grazing his hair. Sojan turned back in outrage,

"Are you already forgetting the first rule! Kill or be killed!" Karyoku roared, shooting steam out both his hands. Sojan blocked with the shields and felt his rage boil. His scar glowed with the blackness of a tattoo, and his hair stood on end. He howled at Karyoku, breathing fire at the man. When Sojan stopped his scream, the entire forest was ablaze. He spit on the ground and continued to run towards the arena, ready to get the preliminaries over with.

Zenton sighed, somehow knowing that Sojan was to blame for this inferno. The entire forest was caught in a massive fire, and it would only impede the search for the eggs. Kuro and Zenton were sticking together, hoping to overpower any lone stranglers. They noticed a small volcano not too far away, and deemed it a worthy place to hide eggs. Apparently many other ninja had the same idea, for nearly one hundred Shinobi were climbing the mountainside.

"Avalanche!" Zenton called, warning all the others of his actions,

Zenton then smacked his hands against the earth, making all the sand in the area vibrate. This was enough to incite an avalanche. All the ninja were unharmed, reaching safety at the foot of the volcano. Zenton brought all the sand he had just used and brought it together, forming it around his and Kuro's feet. They raced up the side of the mountain, riding on the sand. Once they reached the summit of the volcano, they found that there were at least twenty eggs within the molten center of the Volcano,

"Looks like your gut was right, Zenton. Grab the eggs and keep on moving,"

It was then that the mountain began to shake. Zenton looked back, knowing he had not causing this earthquake. There was a boy with deep maroon clothes and short, cropped hair. He raised his hand, making the earth move to his will. Zenton watched as a massive hole was ripped in the side of the volcano, streaming lava out like a faucet. Zenton grinded his teeth,

"Kuro! Deal with this man while I stop that lava,"

"Why bother with those people?"

"No! I won't let those people at the mountain basin die! Not while I can stop it!"

Kuro began to rave,

"Enough of this Zenton! How do you plan to last in this tournament if you're not willing to let them die! It's not even like you're the one killing them!"

"Negligence is just as bad as murder, Kuro," Zenton began to fall down the side of the mountain, riding on his cloud of sand,

The brown-haired boy looked at Kuro amusedly,

"It's not very often I meet a boy so easy to manipulate," he cackled, "I wonder, can you defeat me on your own?"

Kuro bent his neck to the side, letting a loud crack echo through the air. Kuro's pupils grew small,

"Oh no, Zenton isn't worried that I'll lose the fight. He's worried that he won't be back in time to stop me from killing you…" Kuro gripped his sword and unsheathed it, "What's your name anyway?"

"You can call me Gaeoro. I hail from the Land of Stone, and have mastered the ten arts of the Heavenly Earth,"

"My name is Kuro of the Necros Clan. I bear a powerful demon inside me, the Shadow Dragon. While I may be able to keep my demon in check, it is only at the cost of my sense of mercy. The only way to overpower the demon of shadows is with my own bloodlust!"

Kuro's shadow cracked at Gaeoro like a whip, slicing at him with a guillotine-blade. Gaeoro raised his arm and made a stone pillar rise out of the ground to defend himself. He was able to block Kuro's shadow, but the blade was imbedded halfway through Gaeoro's pillar,

"Heavenly art number one: stone dragon!" Gaeoro slapped his stone pillar with his one hand,

Several small stones fell off the tip of the pillar, sculpting the image of a dragon's head. The pillar extended out of the ground, growing in length and lunging down at Kuro. Kuro jumped into the volcano to dodge. He gripped onto a cliff, dangling over the molten sea, and watching Gaeoro look down on him. It was then that another ninja appeared on the volcanic summit,

"You two had better step back! Don't make me hurt you!" he boasted, holding a kunai,

Gaeoro simply laughed, sending his stone dragon to swallow him,

"Heavenly art number two: stone mummification," Gaeoro said calmly, watching the stone dragon trap the spare ninja in his maw.

The pillar-body of the dragon slowly dissipated into soot and ash, leaving only the head. The dragon's head began to slowly shrink, suffocating the man inside. Kuro could not help but find himself giggling along to the man's screams of agony. They stopped abruptly, announcing the man's death. Gaeoro returned to the side of the volcano, looking down at Kuro,

"It seems our battle has had a rather abruptly. I suppose we'll meet again in the tournament,"

He made a small plate spring up underneath a golden egg, launching it up into his hands. Kuro grinded his teeth and extended his arm. His left arm turned into a black tentacle, growing in size until it had reached the volcanic cliff. He grappled himself up, standing behind Gaeoro.

"This duel is far from over," Kuro growled, the whites of his eyes growing dark,

Gaeoro watched in horror as Kuro's shape became near-amorphous. His left hand was a long, black tentacle, dragging along the ground. His right hand had fused with the butt of his sword, giving him a claymore for a hand. His eyes had grown black, his pupils white, and his white hair that once hung over his face in bangs was now standing on end. His breathing was heavy, like some sort of feral beast. He swung his tentacle and wrapped around Gaeoro's ankle, pulling him in closer and stabbing with his sword. Gaeoro was pierced through the stomach. Kuro began to chuckle, showing his now pointed teeth. It was then that a wall of sand appeared between Kuro and Gaeoro, splitting in two and pushing the two away from each other,

"God damn it Kuro, I thought you were better than this," Zenton said, shaking his head disappointedly,

Kuro looked back, barring his teeth,

"Don't you look down on me! I'll kill you both!" Kuro lunged at Zenton, cocking his elbow and preparing to stab directly through his cousin,

Zenton grabbed Kuro from behind using his sand. Kuro was held back by his elbows and knees, struggling to escape. In the chaos, Gaeoro had escaped down the mountain. Zenton sighed. At least this day was over. The three of them were in the tournament. That was all that mattered for now.


End file.
